JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Population ageing poses challenges to health systems and costs and evidence show older adults spending longer time in ill health. Improving healthspan, time spent in good health allows older adults to contribute and improve in their quality of life (QOL). Active and healthy ageing is crucial to improving healthspan. This Urban care farming (UCF) trial is a behavioural intervention that utilises therapeutic agricultural and horticultural activities to enhance active and healthy ageing, with the aim of improving healthspan.

Objective:

Grounded in the biopsychosocial model and WHOOQL framework, this UCF trial evaluates the effectiveness of care farming activities in improving the QOL and biopsychosocial health outcomes of older participants.

Methods:

We implemented a parallel group, two-arm, pragmatic waitlist randomised trial pragmatic waitlist randomised trial, where participants were randomised into the intervention or waitlist control arms. Community-dwelling Participants aged 50 to 85 years, without any mobility issues were recruited. Intervention participants started the 24-weeks urban care farming trial, during which the waitlist control participants did not receive the intervention. The primary (WHOQOL-BREF) and secondary outcomes were collected at baseline and 6-months after the intervention group completed the trial. Secondary outcomes include objectively measured physiological health and cognitive outcomes and self-reported psychosocial outcomes. Mixed effects with difference-in-difference, with matching statistical approaches were utilised.

Results:

The RCT commenced in April 2024, with the intervention group starting first. We enrolled 137 participants at commencement, with 67 participants randomised to the intervention group and 70 to the control group. Baseline data were collected in March 2024, 6-month follow-up data were collected in September 2024. The waitlist control participants began the UCF intervention in October 2024. Twelve-month follow-up data collection concluded in July 2025. Analysis for baseline and 6-month follow-up is still on-going.

Conclusions:

The outcomes of this study will contribute to the understanding of UCF on health outcomes. This trial has positive implications for public health, as it utilizes a robust research design and methods to provide empirical insights into the multifaceted health benefits of the multi-component urban care farming intervention. From a policy and practice perspective, this trial could serve as a model for scalable, community-based interventions that enhance the health and well-being of an aging population. Clinical Trial: The study protocol version 1 has been registered at ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT06277583.